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University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Theses and Major Papers Marine Affairs 4-1983 Redevelopment in Jacksonville Beach, Florida: A Coastal Zone Management Perspective Keith E. Falt University of Rhode Island Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/ma_etds Part of the Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, and the Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons Recommended Citation Falt, Keith E., "Redevelopment in Jacksonville Beach, Florida: A Coastal Zone Management Perspective" (1983). Theses and Major Papers. Paper 75. This Major Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Marine Affairs at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Major Papers by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND REDEVELOPMENT IN JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FLORIDA; A COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND MARINE AFFAIRS BY KEITH E. FALT APRIL, 1983 PREFACE The purpose of this paper is to provi de the communi ty leaders and the concerned citizens of Jacksonvi Lle Beach, Florida with an understanding of the issues involved with deve lopmen t of the beachfron t of tha t communi ty. Too of ten development projects are planned and implemented with those responsible unaware of many of the factors which will impact the success of the project. The unusual qualities of the shoreline mandate careful consideration. The first three chapters of this paper are dedicated to presenting the various factors to be considered in beachfront development. It is important that anyone concerned with the project have a basic understanding of the forces, both natural and manmade, which differentiate building on the fragile, ever shifting sands bordering the sea from the more stable inland locations. The data contained within the paper could only have been assembled with the help of numerous contributors who unselfishly gave of their time to help. It was a pleasure to work with the many individuals involved and my thanks are extended to all who contributed to the proj ec t. i CONTENTS Chapter I. INTRODUCTION 2 I I. ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND PUBLIC ACCESS 7 The beach 7 Coastal storms 14 Public access 19 III. ECONOMIC IMPACTS AND THE REGULATORY PROCESS 28 Economic impacts 28 Construction in the coastal zone 38 IV. THE JACKSONVILLE BEACH REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT 41 Regional setting 41 History of the redevelopment effort 44 The Conceptual Plan 48 V. ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES 58 ii iii VI. CONCLUSION 69 FOOTNOTES 73 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 82 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Beach P rofi Le 8 2. Beach Renourishment 1 3 3. Deaths and Damages From Hurricanes in the United States 15 4. Map of the Redevelopment Area Indicating Flood Zones 17 5. project Boundary Survey 24 6. Lengthening the Taxable Shoreline 35 7. Vicinity Map of the Jacksonville Area 42 8. Conceptual Development Plan 49 9. Beachfront Planning, Phase One 64 10. Beachfront Planning, Phase Two 65 11. Beachfront Planning, Phase Three 66 12. Beachfront planning, Phase Four 67 13. Beachfront Planning, Phase Five 68 iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The City of Jacks onvi lIe Beach has been deeply in vo I ved in the planning stage of redevelopment for five years. Various plans ha ve been proposed and re j ected during this period. The eight block beachfront within the redevelopment area offers the City unique opportunities to be a leader in coastal zone planning, to upgrade its tax bas e, and impro ve th e qua Iity of life of the general public. Fai lure to consider factors peculiar to development within the coastal zone may create more development similar to that which has negatively impacted so many communities in the recent past. Jacksonville Beach is fortunate to be undertaking its beachfront redevelopment subsequent to the development of coastal zone management, as only in recent years has the unique quality of the shore been recognized and unders t.oo d , The tools for effecti ve managemen t of the coas ta I zone have been forged and a re a vai lable. They must be taken up and used to protect the public welfare. Man has been lured to the borders of the oceans since earliest history in order to earn his Ii ve lihood or for 2 3 recreation. Authors have attempted numerous explanations for this attraction, ranging from the physical to psychological. Irrespective of the motivating force, man still flocks to the beach in ever increasing numbers. By the 1970' s nearly 70\ of the u.s. population lived within 50 miles of the coasts, including those of the Great Lakes. 1 The 1980 census counted 19.1 million sai lors, 185.3 million swimmers, and 91 million fishermen among this country's population. 2 This powerful attraction transforms the coast from a local to a regional asset. The actions taken in managing the shore, therefore, have far reaching effects. The great demand for this limited resource also confers high property values on the coastal lands. Thes e high va lues have in turn led to hi gh dens i ty development. In the pas t the shoreline was viewed as a relati ve 1 y abundant commodity capable of supporting many diverse uses. 3 As the population grew and intensified in the coastal zone, available shoreline became scarce. The widely scattered homes on recreational beaches began to be crowded in by homes built on smaller lots. Eventually the homes were replaced by high-rise hotels and condominiums. Intense development of the beachfront resulted in reduced access to the beach for those unable to afford beachfront property. Closely spaced single family homes acted as a wall in such places as Malibu Beach, California, effectively preventing the public from use of the 4 heach. 4 In south Florida massive concrete buildings el1minated access and destroyed the easy, tropical atmosphere. 5 This phenomenon took place gradually throughout this country and in many other parts of the world. It is not uncommon for the res i den ts of a coas ta I communi ty to obs erve thei r decreas i n q ability to use the shore and to think of it as a local problem. It is, however, a widespread fai lure of the market systems and the local government to provide for the common good of society. The same fundamental concern can he noted repeatedly, whether it is objection to a waterfront hotel tn Newport, R. I., riots protesting the walls of condominiums and hotels blocking off the sea in Mallorca, Spain or objections to high density construction in Jacksonville Beach, ~lorida. Not only has man continued to build within the coastal zone, he has increasingly done so without taking into consideration the extreme weather conditions found in this region. As a result, property damage figures in the U.S. have been continually rising. In response to these concerns, the federal government enacted the Coastal Zone Management Act in 1972. This legislation expressed recognition of the unique qualities of the lands within the coastal zone and the national interest in them. In 1978 Florida enacted the Florida Coas tal Management Act. The Act declared all state lands to fall within the 5 coastal zone due to the unique geography of the area. The federal government approved Florida's program in September 1981. The proposed redevelopment in Jacksonville Beach should be reviewed in light of these recent changes which have ocurred during the redevelopment planning process. It is not the purpose of this paper to identify the best specific uses of the zone nor to make value judgements on the positions taken by the City government or its agencies, the developer or the various citizens groups involved. Its purpose is to identify important factors governing development of the beachfront property, to indicate trends and past history of similar areas, and to suggest types of development which may reflect the needs and desires of the public. Chapter II of this paper is devoted to environmental issues and the problem of public access to the beach. The planner or concerned citizen involved in beachfront planning must be aware of these factors that impact so heavily upon the siting and types of buildings constructed on the waterfront. Development that takes place without due consideration of these issues often results in side effects that would prohibit approval of the project or result in modification had the impacts been known prior to start of construction. Chapter III considers the economic impacts and the 6 regulatory processes involved in beachfront construction in Florida. Any public redevelopment such as planned by Jacksonvi lIe Beach mus t be carefully planned to a ttai n the goa Is of the communi ty wh i Le f aci ng the rea Iiti es of the free market system. The needs and desires of the public and the profit motive of the developer must be fit into the guidelines and requ lations tha t govern cons tructi on with i n the coas ta 1 zone in the State of Florida. The proposed redevelopment of Jacksonvi lIe Beach is the subject of Chapter IV. The history of the redevelopment effort is reviewed and the Conceptual Plan is discussed from the coastal zone management perspective. Alternatives to the proposed development, considering the factors that make coas ta 1 deve lomen t unique, a re propos ed in Chapter V. These are genera 1 in nature and intended to highlight ways the City may attain the ohjectives it deems appropriate, while heeding the important factors involved in beachfront development. CHAPTER II ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND PUBLIC ACCESS The Beach The City of Jacksonville Beach has one major asset upon which to capitalize, the only major urban beach in the Jacksonville area.

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